Ayla had been doing a fantastic job of steering the conversation, which was both her aim and her special talent.
Or at least one of them.
That was, of course, until Alexander noticed her dress.
She piled on the guilt for leaving her behind to go hunting, clearly enjoying herself in the process, until it suddenly hit her that she wasn't exactly innocent either.
Ayla wasn't about to let it show, stubborn wolf that she was.
Alexander hadn't known her for long, and he wasn't familiar with her entire wardrobe, but he was certain none of her clothes had ever been that shade.
She wasn't the type to stand out, yet that dress made her impossible to miss.
It was way too bright and made her features far too noticeable.
"What if it is? Does it really matter? I wanted a change. If my life is growing with more friends and activities, my wardrobe should grow too."
Alexander couldn't argue with that, but Ayla was gone longer than to get a simple dress, and how did she get it?
The group around them was quite entertained by the show the two were putting on, especially Dominic, whose eyebrows were practically touching his hairline at that point.
Ayle's only question was whether she'd be honest with him about her day.
"You were gone longer than you said. We watched the tapes and saw exactly when you left. How could you leave Dominic like that when you were supposed to be looking after him? He needed you."
Dominic sat on the bed, hands lifted, as Ayla glanced his way.
He made it clear he hadn't said a word and didn't intend to.
She looked at the others, then back at Alexander.
"You just assume that because I'm the woman, it's my job to be the caretaker. All of you are just as capable of looking after him. Where were you? Off causing trouble, chasing his attacker right back to his pack to rally support?"
Her anger bubbled to the surface at his remark, and she once again took charge of the conversation.
All the other men raised their eyebrows so high they nearly touched their hairlines too, replicating Dominic's prior expression, eyes and ears fixed intently, waiting for his reply.
Alexander had no choice but to start backpedaling.
"Not at all. You dove right in, caring for him completely as soon as we arrived, and basically shooed us away. Since you took the lead, I assumed you'd stick around with him, keeping him safe and sound, the whole time."
Ayla gave a slight flare of her nostrils before carrying on.
"Well. I guess you 'assumed' wrong. You know what they say about assuming, don't you? By the way. I did tend to him. Kept him safe and sound. Made sure he had everything he needed and nursed him back to health."
Alexander looked defeated, "Yeah, sorry."
She was ready to wrap up the conversation while she was still in a good position, winning.
"But you did leave. You didn't tell me, or anyone else, where you went. Sorry, I didn't say anything to you about hunting with Julius and the guys. We should have told you. I still don't know what you really did. Maybe we should keep it that way."
She kept her head down and moved toward the bed that Dominic was lying in, her silence speaking more than she realized.
Ayla reached for the dishes to tidy up Dominic's nightstand, but Alexander and Julius could tell from her lack of words and actions that she'd done something risky.
Raphael and Phoenix watched intently, wondering what was really happening between the trio and exactly what they had gotten themselves into.
Alexander looked at Julius, and they nodded at each other in confirmation before Julius spoke.
"All we did was chase the wolf that attacked Dominic back to its territory, that's it. Now spill, where were you? I want every detail."
She flashed a devilish grin.
"I told you, I'm expanding my network, socializing, if you will. Maybe even did a little hunting for myself."
Alexander knew this was just the tip of the iceberg.
"How? Who... Who did you meet with?"
Ayla loved how well he was starting to understand her, but it also meant she couldn't get away with much anymore.
"Who do you think, Julius. Who is here?"
"There are a lot of wolves lately, Ayla. Just tell me."
She tried to play it off like it was nothing, but the pride on her face gave her away.
"Shaw and Orion."
All at once, every man in the room, Dominic included, shouted, "WHAT!"
"Calm down. It wasn't really a meeting. You went hunting in the woods, and I went hunting in town. Looks like I might be the better hunter, since I caught my prey and got what I wanted, and they don't even know it. Men can be so clueless."
Phoenix's confusion was plain to see, etched clearly across his face.
"What does that mean?"
Alexander answered for her.
"It means she followed them, eavesdropped from afar, and gathered what she needed without them ever realizing she was there."
He shook his head, and she just laughed.
"You're partly right. I did that at first, but when I realized something was going on, I hopped down and joined their private meeting."
She went on to share how everything unfolded and how she brought it to a close.
She liked remembering how much fun she had playing mind games with the two men, stringing them along with her clever words until they figured out who she was, wrapping them in just enough intrigue to get exactly what she wanted.
Men often assumed they were smarter than her without ever meeting her, and it really annoyed her.
What stood out to her most was that they could have pursued her, but they didn't, all because of one simple, heartbreaking truth.
Hell, he would have gone after her, but they believed she was destined for their lost son, whom they were grieving.
Alexander was in shock after she revealed what she discovered.
"What were you thinking? After what Mason just did, you went and put yourself right in front of another person from that pack?"
His possessive, wolf-like nature was beginning to take over, making her feel more like something he owned than someone he loved.
Being around such a strong, unattached woman was starting to get to him, and to all of them, but they hadn't yet picked up on the subtle changes.
Ayla rolled her eyes, unwilling to put up with his toxic masculinity.
"Weren't you paying attention? He's not really part of the Deep Fang Pack anymore. Orion brought him into his pack before I even showed up. Something about it all feels off, I know. What I do know for sure is that Shaw left his pack."
Phoenix glanced at Dominic, who had gone back to simply listening, then turned his gaze to Ayla.
"So, after everything you did, what's the plan? You still haven't confirmed if Mason is alive or dead, and you never mentioned having any help. All they know now is that you're smart, capable, and aware of them."
Ayla glanced at him, glad that he was finally asking for her opinion.
It was the first time any of them had shown her enough respect to ask how she wanted to proceed.
"I plan to keep an eye on them to see what they do next, as their next move will reveal a lot. The problem is, I'm working the next three evenings at the boutique to pay for this dress, so I'll need someone's help to watch them. By then, I should know exactly what Orion's intentions are."
Julius was on his feet, making his way toward her, when he caught sight of his roommate's reaction to what she had said.
Alexander began to shake his head.
"I'm sorry, what? Do you have any other completely unsafe ideas, actions, or plans you'd like to share with the class while we're all here?"
Ayla had no idea what he meant, but she replied anyway.
"Alexander, which part of what I said seems so far-fetched? But to answer you, no, not at the moment. That's all I've come up with for now."
Julius spoke up, though, trying to help his friend.
"With everything happening, you think it's fine to just head off to work for three evenings. We're apparently meant to just stand by, avoid drawing attention, and not leave you unprotected. Did you really think that through?"
As Julius wrapped up his words, Alexander glanced down at the bag holding her old dress.
Seeing the name displayed, he looked up at her, "I'll be back."
Offering nothing more, Alexander slipped out of the apartment and vanished.
Ayla hadn't really given it much thought.
She'd just spotted the dress and couldn't think of any other way to have it.
With no money, her choices were few.
Glancing at the others, she felt genuinely embarrassed for making such a fuss over clothing.
"I wasn't thinking. I never meant to put any of you in danger, I just..."
Raphael walked over to hug her, the big teddy bear he truly was, as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"It's okay. I personally know that you have been alone for nearly nineteen years now. If anyone thinks they know more about you, they are willing to try to battle me. It will take time for everyone to adjust. Don't worry about it. The kinks will work themselves out. Isn't that right, Dominic?"
He now knew the injured man could speak; he was simply choosing not to.
"That's right... just growing pains... expected as we are expanding. That's all they are... growing pains," His voice was still raspy, carrying the unmistakable signs of injury.
Ayla still didn't feel any better, but she managed to stop the tears that had started streaming down her cheeks.
She gave Raphael a big hug and told the three men it was their turn to watch Dominic, then stepped out of the apartment for a bit of reprieve.
Julius and Phoenix blocked her path, fixing her with a hard, intimidating stare.
"I just want to lie down. I'm exhausted. Keep an eye on me through the monitors if you have to, I honestly don't care," she said, pushing past them as she finished.
More than anything, she felt embarrassed and just wanted to curl up into a ball and drift off to sleep.
Ayla desperately wished it had all been just one big nightmare, and that when she woke up, none of it would have happened, except for the hunting part, which she wouldn't change.
The night dragged on, and the day felt even longer.
Worn out and emotional, she made her way to bed for a much-needed nap.
As she slept, her dreams seemed to brim with answers.
Ayla was sure of what she wanted to do.
At the same time, Julius found himself watching over Dominic by himself.
The same two women, who had visited on several previous occasions, were once again spending time with Phoenix and Raphael.
Raphael was the first to say something clever.
"If you ladies are going to keep visiting, especially at our new apartments, we should at least know your actual names. Pet names like beautiful, gorgeous, love, or babe only go so far, just like calling someone handsome or babe."
The red-haired one glanced at him in surprise.
"We exchanged names that first night, didn't we?"
Phoenix suddenly appeared worried.
"I don't remember if we did, but just in case, I'm Phoenix."
Relief slowly spread across her face.
"Oh, thank the goddess, I couldn't remember either. I'm Stella, Stella Lycaon. Boy, I'm so glad I met you," she said with a giggle.
The young woman accompanying Raphael joined in the conversation.
"Well, since they were so drunk they can't remember, I don't feel too bad. My name's Rhae, Rhae Moon. The pleasure's all mine, I assure you."
"Raphael," he said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Stella was the first to break the silence after that.
"So, are you two basically best friends?"
Raphael replied to her.
"You could say that. Roommates, coworkers, best friends, whatever. We are more like brothers than best friends, just without the blood link."
Rhae smiled, clearly pleased with the answer as she responded.
"That makes things so much easier for us because we're the same. We never go anywhere without each other, and we're basically inseparable. It's like we can just sense when the other needs us."
Raphael and Phoenix exchanged a glance, staying silent for a moment, though their instincts were on high alert.
"Something feels off about these two. I've got a strange feeling," Raphael thought, hoping Phoenix could hear it.
"Yeah, I feel like something's off, too. I agree, go for it," Phoenix thought.
"Do you want to meet someone?" Raphael asked both ladies.
Rhae suddenly felt a wave of concern as she glanced at Stella.
"What do you mean? Who?" She asked hesitantly.
Noticing the girls' discomfort, they tried to keep things feeling normal, just in case it turned out to be nothing.
Raphael tried to calm them down.
"Our dad... well, he's not my biological dad, but he took me in as a baby and took him under his wing when he was four, so it feels like he's our dad. He's just a really cool guy to know."
The girls didn't know why the men suddenly wanted them to meet their dad, but it didn't feel right to say no.
Stella spoke up, saying, "I guess we can do that."
Phoenix jumped in.
"Don't worry. We're all really close, even in terms of where we live. He's the one who introduced you girls to us in the first place, and he lives just one floor away. Come on!"
Stella was quick to reply.
"Wait, what made you guys decide to live here? When we first met, you two were staying at the hotel and said it was just temporary. So, what changed?"
Phoenix chuckled.
"Everything changed. Our group started growing, and that includes you, ladies. How could we ever leave the two of you behind?"
Stella rolled her eyes, fighting to keep a smile from breaking through.
"Yeah, right. Most of that might be true, but you didn't mention anything about staying with us."
Phoenix looked like she had just stolen candy right from his mouth, then raised an eyebrow at her.
"How dare you accuse me of lying about not wanting to leave the precious goddess of a woman who visits almost every night."
He held her close, his arms wrapped around her as he finished speaking.
She arched an eyebrow in return.
"Maybe. But we weren't the reason you two moved here. It wasn't even on your mind when you made the decision, at least not one of the main reasons."
He knew she wasn't wrong, so he merely kissed her on the cheek and moved on to other matters.
"Shall we go and meet the man of the hour now? I know you'll love him."
They nodded hesitantly in agreement.
Both men sensed there was something different about them, though they couldn't quite figure out what it was; they had an idea, though.
The group of four strolled down the first-floor hall, each man holding the hand of a woman he considered a prize.
Even their wolves liked the company of these women.
Hell, Raphael had to already retract their fangs while orgasming at least once, so he knew something was up.
They had it bad.
Pride swelled in both of their chests as they approached Dominic's door.
"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK"